


By Your Side

by Haberdasher



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Asexual Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Bisexual Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, Jon Sims Bi Pride January 2021, M/M, POV Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), Sex-Repulsed Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28722099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haberdasher/pseuds/Haberdasher
Summary: In the safehouse, Jon and Martin navigate discussions of Jon’s orientation and what that means for their relationship. Written for @jonsimsbipride and @aspecarchivesweek.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91
Collections: Aspec Archives Week, bi jon sims celebration





	By Your Side

Jon and Martin were laying side by side in the safehouse’s lone bed once again, alternating between flipping through the handful of mediocre-at-best novels that Daisy had left there and making small talk to kill time before they both felt ready to go to sleep for the night. (Jon had just abandoned the last book he’d tried reading, a hokey Western that seemed to use every cliché out there, while Martin was checking out an old romance novel that had come as almost more of a shock than the knives in the closet when they first went through the place.)

Jon heard Martin setting his book down on the nightstand beside him, and Jon assumed that he’d just lost interest in it before hearing Martin speak up.

“Can... can we talk about something? Something kind of personal?”

Jon was glad now that he’d abandoned his own attempts at reading for the time being.

“Sure, what is it?”

“You’re, er... you’re asexual, right?”

Jon nodded. His sexual orientation (or lack thereof) had come up some time ago, long before he’d even imagined the present context for that information might be possible, during an outing with Tim and Sasha back when working in the archives was fresh and new to them all. “Yes, that’s right.”

Martin’s shoulders slumped down a little. “I thought so, but... I just... I thought we were together.”

Jon blinked a few times, looking right at Martin. Was that fear in his dark eyes? “We are.”

“Not just, just together in this safehouse, I mean, but _together_. As-” Martin grabbed a blanket and made a fist, squishing the blanket’s fabric within his hand. “As a couple.”

“We are.” Jon repeated, adjusting his position slightly so that he could get a better look at Martin. “Both can be true, Martin. Both _are_ true.”

“Wait, but, but I thought...”

As Martin’s sentence trailed off, Jon realized what must be confusing him so much, realized that he had incorrectly assumed they’d already discussed something that Jon had long since taken for granted.

“We haven’t gone through what my being asexual actually _means_ yet, have we?”

Martin wrinkled his nose a bit before shaking his head. “What d’you mean?”

“Me being asexual doesn’t change my romantic feelings for you. When it comes to romance, I’m bi, not aromantic, so I can still, you know, date people. Be _together_ with someone.”

Martin looked away from Jon’s gaze, staring pointedly at the wall in front of him instead. “Oh.”

“It just means that I’m not sexually attracted to you--or anyone, for that matter, so don’t take it personally. Never have been, never will be. But romance is another story.”

Martin looked back Jon’s way, though he still didn’t quite meet Jon’s gaze. “So... no sex, yes dating? Is that the gist of it?”

“Sort of. It is possible to...” Jon started fumbling around with his hands, trying to make vague gestures to explain what he struggled to put into words. “To be asexual and have sex. Or even to be asexual and _like_ sex. But I, I’ve never cared for it personally, though if, if you want-”

“Jon.”

Jon’s half-finished sentence died instantly as he heard the certainty in Martin’s voice. “Yes?”

“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. If, if sex is a problem... that’s not a deal-breaker for me. It’s nice, sure, but not as nice as...” This time Martin was the one gesturing vaguely towards their surroundings as a whole. “Well, as all of _this_. As just being here, by your side, no matter what.”

Jon let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “That’s... that’s good to hear. Maybe I should have said something sooner, I know it- it can be a deal-breaker, for some, has been before...”

Martin shook his head emphatically. “No, no, I knew you were asexual, if anything it’s my fault for not understanding that.”

“Well, a lot of people don’t get it, actually, it’s... it’s a common enough misunderstanding, really...”

Jon laughed a little, and Martin gave him a strange look in response.

“Is my ignorance really that funny?”

“No, no, it’s just... I’ve had this talk before, about how being both bi and ace works, it’s... it’s _normal_ , for me to have to explain this to a potential partner. Despite everything, we’re- we’re getting to do something _normal_.”

Jon reached out and grabbed Martin’s hand, and Martin gave Jon’s hand a tight squeeze as he let out a soft laugh of his own.

“Of all the words to use for our relationship, I never thought _normal_ would be one of them.”

“Neither did I, but here we are.”

Jon shook his head, and soon enough both of them were laughing, the two holding hands tightly as their laughter filled the room.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, consider following me on tumblr at [haberdashing](https://haberdashing.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
